Pope Leo XIV decries violence against women, appeals for respect of equal dignity

ROME – Pope Leo XIV gave a shout-out to women everywhere and called for an end to feminicide and gender-based violence on Sunday, International Women’s Day.

Speaking during his March 8 Sunday Angelus address on International Women’s Day, the pope issued an appeal “for the recognition of the equal dignity of men and women.”

“Unfortunately, many women, since infancy, are still discriminated against and undergo various forms of violence. My solidarity and prayer go out to them in a special way,” he said.

In his reflection on the day’s Gospel reading, which recounted Jesus’s encounter with a Samaritan woman at a well, Leo noted that Jesus’s disciples were shocked when they returned from looking for good and saw him speaking with a woman, especially a Samaritan.

“According to custom, he ought to have simply ignored that Samaritan woman; instead, Jesus speaks with her, listens to her, and shows her respect – without a hidden agenda and without disdain,” the pope said.

Leo noted that many people come to the church seeking this same sensitivity and availability.

“How beautiful it is when we lose track of time in order to give attention to the person we are encountering, as we